Solvang

EVENTS Danish Days The city of Solvang's 75th annual Danish Days festival takes on special significance this year, as it also marks the town's centennial. The celebration features folk dancing, live music, theater performances, authentic food, parades and living history exhibits. Various venues, Solvang. 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Free. (800) 468-6765. http://www.solvangusa.com 23rd Annual Taste of Newport The fest offers three days to sample fare from more than 30 local restaurants, sip wine from 15 California wineries and enjoy live music — all against the backdrop of Newport Beach.

Buellton, 25 miles north of Santa Barbara, has been known for just one thing: split pea soup. For years, Buellton was that midday rest stop on the way to points north where you lunched at Pea Soup Andersen's. No longer in the shadow of trendier neighbors Solvang and Los Olivos, Buellton has taken on a life of its own. It's a fun place to stay, explore, eat and drink - and I'm not just referring to wine. The bed Buellton has at least one remarkable place to spend the night, the Flying Flags RV park (180 Avenue of Flags; [805]

Forget about Solvang's Danish froufrous and become immersed in its backcountry on a "ride camp" in California's vineyard-studded Santa Ynez Valley. The idea is to provide a training camp for serious cyclists to gear up for a race or a big bicycling season -- with some beautiful scenery too. The tour from Trek Travel of Madison, Wis., provides an itinerary with a mix of guided and self-guided rides Participants stay in Solvang during a seven-day trip that features an average 40-mile ride with 2,500 elevation gain each day. Day 1, head out to Los Olivos and Ballard Canyon where time trials for the Amgen Tour of California have been held in the past.

On a recent girlfriends weekend, I had a wonderful experience at the chef's table at Root 246 in Solvang, Calif. For $88 each, we were treated to a multicourse chef-designed meal with wine (or beer) pairings. Chef Seth Nelson and his staff could not have been more welcoming. Dining in the kitchen was a fun first. The food and wine were excellent, and the experience was first rate. Root 246 , 420 Alisal Road, Solvang, Calif.; (805) 686-8681, http://www.root-246.com . Jane Kimball Ladera Ranch

The city of Solvang has agreed to process the extra sewage generated by the casino that the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians plans to open at the end of the month. The tribe's $1-million-plus water treatment facility will be finished in about a year. Solvang officials agreed to provide up to 40,000 gallons of sewage capacity each day at a one-time cost of about $73,000.

I got misty reading "In Solvang, Have Drama With Your Danish," [Weekend Escape, July 18]. It used to be one of our favorite weekend escapes too, until my husband lost the ability to walk. Recently, we decided the town would be a lovely, nostalgic place to celebrate a special wedding anniversary. We made a hotel reservation, loaded our compact electric scooter and wheelchair in the car and set off up U.S. 101 in high spirits. Our mood was soon deflated. To our surprise and dismay, we discovered the Solvang we'd loved so much is one of the least-accessible cities we've ever visited -- in fact, much worse than many centuries-old tourist towns in Europe.

Stretching beside the road to San Marcos Pass, the property known as Camp 4 is rolling, oak-studded and vast. On that much, the land's owners, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and their neighbors in the Santa Ynez Valley agree. But now that the tribe is pushing to annex the 1,400 bucolic acres it purchased last year, both sides are as ready to slug it out as the boxers who occasionally do battle in the Chumash Casino's Samala Showroom. If Camp 4 is made part of the reservation, it won't be subject to local land-use rules — a sore point in a county where almost every large development triggers intense scrutiny and epic public debate.

On a recent girlfriends weekend, I had a wonderful experience at the chef's table at Root 246 in Solvang, Calif. For $88 each, we were treated to a multicourse chef-designed meal with wine (or beer) pairings. Chef Seth Nelson and his staff could not have been more welcoming. Dining in the kitchen was a fun first. The food and wine were excellent, and the experience was first rate. Root 246 , 420 Alisal Road, Solvang, Calif.; (805) 686-8681, http://www.root-246.com . Jane Kimball Ladera Ranch

SAN DIEGO December Nights When, where: Dec. 3 and 4, Balboa Park Highlights: More than 300,000 people are expected for this annual event, during which admission to all museums will be free. Holiday-themed offerings include live entertainment, rides for children, a Native American village and food from around the world. Cost: Free Info: (619) 239-0512, http://www.balboapark.org/decembernights SANTA BARBARA Snow Leopard Festival and Sledding at the Zoo When, where: Dec. 5, Santa Barbara Zoo Highlights: The zoo celebrates two things foreign to the Southland: snow and the endangered leopard.

Tickets have just gone on sale for “ The 2nd Annual Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure ,” returning to Solvang's Veterans Memorial Hall March 29 and 30. And if things go anywhere near like last year, they won't last long. An offshoot of the original Garagiste Festival held in Paso Robles in November, this one ferrets out cutting-edge, small-scale wine producers from the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County. Last year's Southern Exposure was a sellout. And at $50 per ticket, it's still pretty inexpensive for such a wildly exuberant and fun wine event.

Forget about Solvang's Danish froufrous and become immersed in its backcountry on a "ride camp" in California's vineyard-studded Santa Ynez Valley. The idea is to provide a training camp for serious cyclists to gear up for a race or a big bicycling season -- with some beautiful scenery too. The tour from Trek Travel of Madison, Wis., provides an itinerary with a mix of guided and self-guided rides Participants stay in Solvang during a seven-day trip that features an average 40-mile ride with 2,500 elevation gain each day. Day 1, head out to Los Olivos and Ballard Canyon where time trials for the Amgen Tour of California have been held in the past.

For the third year in a row, the United States was the most admired country globally , according to a study by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. Among the top 10 countries, Britain overtook France for third place and Australia passed Switzerland to place eighth. Germany remained in second . . . . First come the rains, then come the mushrooms. Mendocino County in Northern California is gearing up its Wine & Mushroom Festival , Nov. 4-13, with wines, foraging excursions and cooking classes.

Stretching beside the road to San Marcos Pass, the property known as Camp 4 is rolling, oak-studded and vast. On that much, the land's owners, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and their neighbors in the Santa Ynez Valley agree. But now that the tribe is pushing to annex the 1,400 bucolic acres it purchased last year, both sides are as ready to slug it out as the boxers who occasionally do battle in the Chumash Casino's Samala Showroom. If Camp 4 is made part of the reservation, it won't be subject to local land-use rules — a sore point in a county where almost every large development triggers intense scrutiny and epic public debate.

EVENTS Danish Days The city of Solvang's 75th annual Danish Days festival takes on special significance this year, as it also marks the town's centennial. The celebration features folk dancing, live music, theater performances, authentic food, parades and living history exhibits. Various venues, Solvang. 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Free. (800) 468-6765. http://www.solvangusa.com 23rd Annual Taste of Newport The fest offers three days to sample fare from more than 30 local restaurants, sip wine from 15 California wineries and enjoy live music — all against the backdrop of Newport Beach.

Cycling: In Saturday's Sports section, a map detailing the Tour of California route indicated that Stage 5 is a time trial in Solvang and Stage 6 goes from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita. However, Stage 5 goes from Visalia to Paso Robles and Stage 6 is the time trial in Solvang. There is no stage this year between Santa Barbara and Santa Clarita. A corrected map can be found in today's Sports section.

I went to Solvang with a group of six people over Memorial Day weekend. We had an enjoyable morning at Solvang's only bookstore, then decided to have lunch at the Danish Inn. After (dining), we discovered that a mandatory tip of 15% had been added to our bill. Since we thought the service was worth only 10%, this was an overcharge. There was no advance warning of this policy on the menu, by sign or orally. BARRY GOLD Los Angeles The Danish Inn responds: Our policy is to collect a 15% tip on parties of six or more . We do this to protect our employees from diners who do not leave tips since the work involved in serving large parties can be substantial and these are often the groups that forget to tip. Although we do not post this policy, it is not an uncommon one among restaurants nor is it illegal.

EVENTS Danish Days Solvang's 75th annual festival takes on special significance this year, as it also marks the town's centennial. The celebration features folk dancing, live music, theater performances, authentic food, parades and living history exhibits. Various venues, Solvang. 4-10 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Free. (800) 468-6765. http://www.solvangusa.com. Taste of Newport The 23rd-annual fest offers three days to sample fare from more than 30 local restaurants, sip wine from 15 California wineries and enjoy live music — all against the backdrop of Newport Beach.